Shoppers camp out for Black Friday

Thursday

Nov 22, 2012 at 2:00 AM

TOWN OF WALLKILL — A campground has sprung up in front of Best Buy in the Town of Wallkill, where more than a dozen campers were waiting Wednesday afternoon for Black Friday deals on their favorite electronics.

Staff and wire reports

TOWN OF WALLKILL — A campground has sprung up in front of Best Buy in the Town of Wallkill, where more than a dozen campers were waiting Wednesday afternoon for Black Friday deals on their favorite electronics.

"Computers, TVs, laptops, tablets. Everything. I'm here for it all," Bryndon Romero of Newburgh said Wednesday, as he waited for the "door buster" sales to begin more than 30 hours later, at midnight Thursday.

He and his fellow campers, some of whom knew each other from previous campouts at Best Buy, were hardly roughing it.

They came equipped with propane heaters and stoves. Wednesday's breakfast included hamburgers, pancakes and omelettes.

"I love to camp, so it's cool," Romero said. "We get to hang out."

Since at least Monday, customers have been setting up tents outside stores across the country to be the first in line for Black Friday specials.

Best Buy is one of several chains planning to open at midnight; others include Kohl's, Macy's and Modell's. Walmart will open stores at 8 p.m. Thursday, with Target to follow an hour later.

Retailers are doing everything they can to make it easier for more finicky shoppers to spend during the holidays. Some are offering free layaway and shipping. Many are matching in-store prices with cheaper online deals. Others are allowing shoppers to buy online and pick up their merchandise in stores.

The have-it-your-way approach is partly a response to fear. Merchants are concerned that shoppers will spend less freely this season because of worries about high unemployment and a package of tax increases and spending cuts known as the "fiscal cliff," which will take effect in January unless Congress passes a budget deal. The changes also come as the growth of smartphones and tablet computers has made it easier to browse and buy with the touch of a fingertip.

That puts pressure on brick-and-mortar retailers, which count on holiday shopping for up to 40 percent of their annual revenue, to get shoppers into stores. It's becoming an increasingly difficult feat: The National Retail Federation estimates that overall sales in November and December will rise 4.1 percent this year, below last year's 5.6 percent growth. But the online part of that is expected to rise 17 percent, according to research firm comScore.

"Retailers have to do a little more to grow sales this year," said Frank Badillo, a senior economist at consultancy Kantar Retail.